Hungarian birch mouse, Sicista trizona (Frivaldszky, 1865): past achievements, present status and future visions (Rodentia: Sminthidae)

The aim of this review is to provide a brief summary, based on a decade and a half of intensive research, of the past and future of the rodent species currently known as the Hungarian birch mouse, Sicista trizona (Frivaldszky, 1865). The species is endemic to the Carpathian Basin and listed as Endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature. Past evidence is reinterpreted to provide an updated perspective on the species’ probable historical distribution and to discuss expectations for the future. In addition, a brief summary of previously unpublished results is provided: vegetation surveys of the known habitats, annual census and monitoring, genetic studies, and the launch of a captive breeding programme. Ten years ago, experts working on the conservation of this species were very pessimistic about its future, but today the results of the latest surveys, having knowledge of the appropriate management techniques and new directions in the species conservation, are encouraging. If we are able to maintain the Sicista research and conservation programme based on the results, and environmental factors do not change drastically, there is a good chance that we can manage to ensure long-term protection and maintenance for the population of Hungarian birch mouse. With five figures

A csíkos szöcskeegér helyzete a Hernád-völgyben

A csíkos szöcskeegérnek (Sicista subtilis trizona, Frivaldszky 1865) jelenleg mindössze kettő előfordulási helyét ismerjük Magyarországról. Ezek közül az egyik a 2006-ban leírt populáció a Borsodi- Mezőség területéről, míg a másik az eddig méltatlanul mellőzött hernád-völgyi. Utóbbi helyről eddig csak bagolyköpetekből került elő; élő példányt valószínűleg itt soha nem láttak. 2014-ben bagolyköpet-gyűjtést és elemzést végeztünk, amely során régebbi mintákat is feltártunk. Elemzéseink alatt egyetlen szöcskeegér példány maradványai kerültek elő egy 2008-as aszalói gyűjtésből. A Hernád-völgy alapos bejárása után talajcsapdázást végeztünk a potenciális élőhelyeken. Az egykori elterjedési terület behatárolásához 1960-as években készült légifotókat használtunk, amelyeken a lehetséges korábbi élőhelyek elkülöníthetők. Csapdázásaink során sajnos nem sikerült kimutatni a Hernád-völgyből a fajt. Valószínűleg a terület gyakori égetése okozhatta a faj eltűnését a területről. Azonban még további csapdázások szükségesek ahhoz, hogy biztosan kijelenthessük: a szöcskeegér kipusztult a Hernád-völgyben

Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities

AimComprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW).LocationGlobal.TaxonAll extant mammal species.MethodsRange maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species).ResultsRange maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use.Main conclusionExpert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control